Straylight Run: For The Best
by Green Gallant
Summary: 4 years into the future, Sasuke reflects on his actions in his quest for vengence, joining forces with Orochimaru and becoming a member of the Hidden Sound village. And thinks about the consequences of his actions. Based on the song by Straylight Run


_Author's Note: this is my 33rd story and first songfic dedicated to a single character on the Naruto page. This song is a personal favorite of mine. After playing it countless times on my college radio show I figured out that this song is an exact description of Sasuke. I kind of had high hopes for this fic and I'm not sure if it turned out the way I wanted. But I think I got what I wanted out of it. Hope you guys like it. This is based on the 2004 song by Straylight Run. Enjoy._

**Straylight Run: For The Best**

Sasuke stood on a cliff that overlooked the Hidden Sound Village in the dead of night, it's been 4 years since he betrayed the Leaf Village and defected to Orochimaru. He wanted power, the power to defeat his older brother Itachi who slayed thier entire family years earlier. It's what's driven him all of these years, Sasuke was the best of his village. A child prodigy hailing from the revered Uchiha clan, Sasuke excelled in various types of Jutsu including the famous Fireball Jutsu, a hallmark of the Uchiha clan along with the family's other fire based attacks. With these fantastic abilities at his disposal along with the famous Uchiha bloodline flowing through him, it seemed as though he would surpass his brother in no time. To his chagrin he would be paired with future rival Naruto Uzamaki and the girl that loved him Sakura Haruno. Sasuke didnt care for either of them and let his disappointment to known. Stunning Sakura and infuriating Naruto. Despite the adversity between them, they became an exceptional team and would accomplish many missions together, some thought to be impossible. With the team's unbalanced chemistry it's a wonder they made it thought those missions with Naruto's stupidity and Sakura's ill-fated attempts at catching his attention. Through training they grew in strength and grew as a team. And would come to rely on each other, playing off their strengths and covering their weaknesses. By coming together as a team they were a force to be reckoned with. As he stood over the cliff he wondered if he made the right choice.

_And it takes more time than I've ever had_

_Drains the life out of me, makes me want to forget_

_As young as I was, I felt so much older back then_

_more disciplined, stronger and certain_

_But I was scared to death of eternity_

_I was saved by grace and destroyed by naivety, _

_and I lied to myself and said it was for the best. _

Haunted by the memory of what his brother did, Sasuke strove to be the best ninja there was. All so he had the power to bring down and destroy his older brother who tormented him by making him relive the memories of his family's death who was only 7 at the time. And told him that if he wanted to avenge him he had to have enough hatred in his heart for him and surpass in every aspect. From then on Sasuke trained relentlessly, having been blessed with the sacred bloodline and yet nowhere close to achieving what was needed to defeat him. Sasuke would train for days on end perfecting his brother's Shuriken Jutsu trying to strike 25 targets overhead in one fell swoop along with many other techniques. Nothing was going to stop him from accomplishing his goal, no matter how high the cost he was going to do what it takes to bring Itachi down. Never paying attention to the girl who not so secretly pined for him. Never considering such a thing to be important.

_So now faith is replaced with logic so cold_

_I've disregarded what I was, now that I'm older_

_And I know much more then I did back then_

_but the more I learn the more I cant understand. _

_And I've become content with the life that I lead,_

_where I drink too much and dont believe in much of anything_

_And I lie to myself, and say that it's for the best_

Following the destruction of the Leaf Village Sasuke became increasingly antisocial and sought to become more powerful after seeing Naruto defeat Gaara, the effects of which were amplified by the curse mark on his neck that had been given to him by Orochimaru 6 months before. The curse mark flared up and threatened to take over anytime he used his powers which would be a hinderance to him.Sasuke's teacher Kakashi used a sealing jutsu to contain the curse mark and keep it from getting out of control. After aquiring the Chidori from Kakashi, Sasuke yearned to become more powerful by battling stronger ninjas the most powerful of which was his old rival Naruto. Who had exceeded him in his training with an attack that was even stronger than his Lightning Blade attack, the Rasengan. Which culminates in a battle between the two ninjas, wanting to prove himself as a ninja Sasuke antagonized his opponent into fighting him. Although he didnt get why he was fighting him, it didnt take long for Naruto to accept his challenge seeing as they had been at each other's throats for years. But things quickly got out of hand as Sasuke turned to deadly force while battling his opponent, forcing Naruto to use his Rasengan in retaliation. Anguished by what she was seeing Sakura hoped to stop them by throwing herself between them. There was nothing either of them could do to stop it, at the last second Kakashi intervened grabbing both boys by the wrists and hurled them in opposite directions towards the water towers saving Sakura. Both boys punctured the front of the water towers with their fists, at first it seemed as though Sasuke caused the most damage having rippled the front of the tower with his Chidori, but to his amazement Naruto blew out the rear of the watertower with his Rasengan. Though the front of the tower was hardly touched aside from the hole his fist made. Sasuke was dumbstruck by what had taken place. He didnt know how strong his opponent was and at that time neither did Naruto. Enraged by the sudden leap in power Naruto had taken Sasuke retreats leaving a grief stricken Sakura in her teacher's arms. Naruto couldnt believe the gall Sasuke had to do this. It was then Sasuke knew what had to be done, he had to leave the village in order to become stronger. Before he could make a move Kakashi captured him and offered him a chance to cool down. Sasuke would do no such thing, instead he berated his teacher and threatened to kill everyone that was close to him, only to learn that someone else had done just that.

In the present day he clenched his eyes shut at the thought of what he'd told him. It was embarrassing for him to think about, the gall he had back then. He should have had his ass kicked for even suggesting that.

"What was I thinking?" he muttered.

But he knew the reason why he said, there was no hiding it. Sasuke was so enraged by everything that was going on in his life at the time. His rival was suddenly stronger than him, his older brother was back in his life and gave him a hellacious beating with such little effort. He was humiliated, and there was next to nothing he could do about it. At least that's how it seemed to him. And seeing his rival's shocking power displayed was just the icing on the cake. He was losing control of his life and the only way to regain it was through violence. In the end he made his decision and defected to the Sound. On the night of his departure he was approached not by Naruto but by another teammate of his Sakura.

_Were moving forward, but we're holding ourselves back,_

_and we're waiting on something that will never come..._

_We're moving forward, but we're holding ourselves back, _

_and we're waiting on something that will never come..._

She tried to prevent him from leaving the Leaf Village begging him not to go and began pouring her heart out to him. Telling him she loved him and would do anything to be with him, even going as far as offering to join him in his quest for vengeance. But her pleas fell on deaf ears, and knocked her out, placed her on a park bench and left. And while he wasnt proud of that particular moment he felt it was necessary at the time. Why did he do those things? Was he so blind that he would throw away any traces of a family he had in the Hidden Leaf? There were people that cared about him, none more so than Sakura and yet he spurned her affection and trampled it like litter in the street. He was so cold and callous to emotion that he felt no need for it or for any of the insipid affiliations to friends, family and community. And left without placing a single regret for it all.

_We're moving forward, but we're holding ourselves back,_

_and we're waiting on something that will never come back_

_(and I lie to myself and say that it was for the best)_

News of his betrayal spread like wildfire through the village. A mixture of shock and frustration washed over the villagers, no one could believe what had taken place. Naruto was outraged and promised to give him the beating of a lifetime. Within a day or so a team comprising of Naruto, Neji, Shikamaru, Kiba and Choji was formed and was dubbed the Sasuke Retrieval Squad. Before they left an anguished Sakura approached Naruto and begged the orange ninja to bring him back to her. Despite his own feelings for her, he accepted the mission she gave to him and made a lifetime promise that he would bring Sasuke back. Even if he had to drag him back to the village kicking and screaming. Casting aside everything else he made this his priority in life, there was no doubt in her mind he was going to succeed.

_We're moving forward, but we're holding ourselves back, _

_and we're waiting on something that will never come back_

_(and I lie to myself and say that it was for the best)_

One by one the team was defeated by members of the Sound Ninja Four, the group that escorted Sasuke to Orochimaru. Until finally all that was left was Naruto who was faced to fight his own teammate Sasuke. The blue ninja was obsessed with power and vengeance and was willing to do what it took to gain it, the two engaged in a brutal battle at the Valley of the End on the mountainous waterfall monument of the First Hokage and Madara Uchiha. Sasuke unleashed the full extent of his powers and took on a terrifying new form ascending into his Level 2 Curse Mark form. The whites of his eyes turned black, his pupils yellow and a pair of monstrous webbed hands appeared out of his back as a perverse pair of wings, along with the black body markings that were syrnomious with his Level 1 form. Wanting to acquire the same level of power as his brother he tried to kill Naruto through brutal tactics using his most powerful techniques against him. In his twisted logic he considered Naruto to be his best friend, knowing that if he eliminated said friend he would finally gain the Mangekyo Sharingan, a powerful eye technique his brother possessed that allowed him to cast illusions that would slow down time and allow him to torment an opponent until thier will was broken. Despite his strong desire for vengence Sasuke couldnt bring himself to kill Naruto and spared his life after rendering him unconscious. His battle scarred headband slipped off under it's own will a testament that he had truly severed all ties with Konohagakure. Having failed and heavily injured Naruto was brought back to the village by Kakashi having to face Sakura. Though she was disappointed she did her best to hide it and commended him on his efforts though she was deeply affected by the extent of his injuries. But what moved her even more, was his willingness to keep his promise to her making it his mission in life to bring Sasuke back to the village no matter what.

_We're moving forward but we're holding ourselves back, _

_and we're waiting on something that will never come back _

_(and I lie to myself and say that it was for the best)_

Even now after all this time Sasuke stands on the ledge overlooking his surrogate home and wondered if he had made the right choices. Obviously there could have been a better away around it, but that answer never came to him.

_We're moving forward but we're holding ourselves back,_

_and we're waiting on something that will never come back_

_(and I lie to myself and say that it was for the best)_

_We're moving forward but we're holding ourselves back, _

_and we're waiting on something that will never come back_

_(and I lie to myself and say that it was for the best)_

"No matter what happens...I will save you." Naruto said.

_Author's Note: I imagine most of you probably havent heard of the song outside the occasional college rock station that might play it. Straylight Run is an Alternative Rock band that's been around for a few years and have produced several albums. That's just a brief history lesson about the band. I know that Memorial Day probably isnt the best day to launch a new fic. But I've been wanting to do this story for a while now. Anyway I hope you guys like it. Let me know what you think. _

_Please review_

_Green Gallant_


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